


A Peculiar Arrangement

by dragonQuill907



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Historical, Arranged Marriage, Escape, Historical AU, Lord!Eric Bittle, M/M, Prince!Jack Zimmermann, i did actual research to find out what their titles would be, jack's anxiety but briefly, this is probably super cheesy but that's allowed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 18:52:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15079466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonQuill907/pseuds/dragonQuill907
Summary: The news spread quickly throughout the kingdom. It was all anybody could talk about.Prince Jack, son of the King and Queen Robert and Alicia Zimmermann, was set to marry Eric Bittle, son of the Earl and Countess of Madison. It was a perfect match - a blessing to both families, for Prince Jack had scared away suitor after suitor, and the Bittles were in dire need of upward financial and political mobility.The only problem was that Prince Jack and Lord Eric had never met.





	A Peculiar Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lphillips1994](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lphillips1994/gifts).



> Not really edited  
> Inspired by a post on writing-prompt-s on tumblr

The news spread quickly throughout the kingdom. It was all anybody could talk about.

Prince Jack, son of the King and Queen Robert and Alicia Zimmermann, was set to marry Eric Bittle, son of the Earl and Countess of Madison. It was a perfect match - a blessing to both families, for Prince Jack had scared away suitor after suitor, and the Bittles were in dire need of upward financial and political mobility.

The only problem was that Prince Jack and Lord Eric had never met.

~*~*~

Eric and his parents arrived at the Castle Duan just as the sun was beginning its climb into the sky. He hopped out of the carriage and stretched his arms, much to his mama’s dismay. She always wanted him to be so proper. And Eric was! But it’d been a long ride to the Castle Duan, and he’d been worrying over his fiancé so much that his brain just shut down and let him sleep for over half the journey. He had a right to stretch his arms, thank you very much, especially since he had to share a carriage with his mother and father. Eric was small, but he did need his own space.

Lady Larissa Duan welcomed him warmly. Eric remembered how many summers they spent together years and years ago, playing in the courtyard and chasing each other through the hallways of Larissa’s home.

But Eric was not so ecstatic to see her. This visit was not like their younger years. Here, Eric would meet his fiancé for the first time. The thought nearly sent him panicking again, but the Duke and Duchess Duan insisted they join the royal family for breakfast, and of course his mother would never refuse. Eric had to keep calm, if only for appearances.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, and Eric spent the rest of the morning with Larissa in the library, catching up over iced tea and fresh scones. Eric meant no disrespect to the Duans’ chefs, but he thought they were a bit dry. He could fix that right up if he had only a minute in the kitchens, but his father had made it clear to him that there would be no shutting himself out from _any_ one - especially the Duans, who were kind enough to host both the Bittles and the Zimmermanns.

One of the Duans’ servants - a boy with bright red hair and a freckled face - had just called them to lunch when it was announced.

The Zimmermanns had arrived.

Eric felt a sudden rush of anxiety. He had never met a prince before, nor a king or queen.

He stood dutifully next to his mama as the Zimmermanns descended from their carriage, plated with gold and silver and gleaming jewels, far more expensive than anything Eric’s parents could hope to afford. Queen Alicia was beautiful - more beautiful than any woman Eric had ever seen (besides his mama, of course, ‘cause no one could ever be more beautiful than his mama). She was all blonde hair and piercing eyes and flowy sleeves, hair and wrists adorned with glittering gems that matched her lipstick. Her husband, King Robert, was dressed similarly, the only difference a simple crown sitting on his dark head.

Eric had never seen two people more in love.

Then Prince Jack stepped out of the carriage, and, Lord, he was gorgeous.

If Eric had been the swooning type, he would’ve fainted right then and there. The prince had his mama’s eyes and cheekbones and his daddy’s hair and build. Tall, dark, and handsome. His lips were set in a straight line, his face stern and unreadable, eyes locking onto Eric’s almost immediately. Eric had to clench his fists in his shirt to keep from fanning himself.

And then Prince Jack opened his mouth, and Eric thought he’d died and gone straight to heaven. The prince’s voice was smooth and deep and rich. It filled Eric’s whole body like piping hot coffee after a day in the cold.

Prince Jack bowed his head.

“It’s good to finally meet you, Lord Bittle.”

Oh, Lord. That voice.

“And you, Prince Zimmermann. But you can call me Eric. We’re engaged, after all.”

Prince Jack shrugged. “For now.”

~*~*~

Jack Zimmermann was speechless.

Eric Bittle was everything he’d never realized he wanted in a partner. As soon as he stepped out of his father’s carriage and saw him, Jack knew. Besides his obvious good looks, Eric was kind and interesting and had no problem chatting with Jack’s parents or the Duans. His voice was sweet and warm, and his smile brightened up the whole room. He was small and golden and perfect.

Eric Bittle was completely and utterly wrong for Jack.

Jack, though he was polite enough, handsome enough, rich enough, had never been good with people or emotions or anything like that. He was expected to behave like a prince, so he did. He didn’t let emotion get in the way, or he would become a failure. Jack couldn’t fail his kingdom, or worse, his father. So he had packed the emotion away until it eventually overwhelmed him, drove him mad, forced his parents to bring every physician in the kingdom to Jack’s bedside to heal his broken mind.

Eric was fearless. And Jack was so very, very scared. Scared of the responsibility of running a kingdom. Scared of letting his parents down. Scared of his own mind, that it would betray him at any moment. Scared of rejection. Scared of the possibility that Bittle would realize sooner rather than later that marrying Jack was no advantage, no privilege. Scared of Bittle’s reaction when he finally found out - because he would find out, just like they always did - how broken and alone and terrified Jack really was.

So Jack ignored him.

He ignored everyone at the table, but he didn’t even look at Bittle. He couldn’t be sure that if he caught Bittle’s eye, he would ever be able to look away.

After lunch had adjourned, Bittle and Lady Larissa invited him back to the library. For what, Jack didn’t know, nor did he want to find out. Instead, he made up some excuse about being tired and hurried back to his room, trying to forget the brief flash of hurt that had crossed Bittle’s face when Jack refused his company.

“Maybe tomorrow,” he had said. Jack knew it was a lie. Maybe Bittle did too.

It went on like that for three days.

It went on until Jack couldn’t take it anymore, and he packed his things into a duffel and slipped out of his room without a sound.

Everything was going exactly according to his (admittedly not-well-thought-out) plan until Jack ran into Bittle just before the castle doors.

“Prince Zimmermann?” he hissed, brown eyes wide and confused. “What are you doin’ here?”

“What are _you_ doing here?” Jack demanded, though he knew he had no right to demand _anything_ of Bittle. He stared at the wall over the blond’s shoulder, reluctant to meet his gaze.

“Same as you, it seems,” Bittle said, voice low and shaky. “I’m leavin’.  I mean no disrespect to you or your family at all, Prince Zimmermann, but I just can’t marry you. I can’t. I love my mama and my daddy, and I would never dream of goin’ against their wishes, but I know they would want me to follow my heart, and… And my heart won’t let me marry a man who can’t even stand the sight of me, even when he catches me tryin’ to sneak away in the dead of night.” Jack’s eyes snapped to Bittle’s, but the tiny blond was staring at his feet, sniffling. “So what about you? What are you doin’ here, Prince Zimmermann?”

“That’s not true,” Jack blurted. Bittle was never supposed to think it was _his_ fault. “I can stand the sight of you.” He frowned. “That’s not how I wanted it to sound. I mean I don’t- I like you.”

Bittle finally looked up. “What?”

“I like you. But I’m…” Jack took a deep breath. He was really about to spill everything, just so Bittle wouldn’t blame himself. “I’m not good with people or love or any kind of change, really. And I don’t think I’m a good match for you. I think you’re brave and kind and bright, and I don’t deserve someone like that.”

Bittle’s eyes widened. “Jack-”

“And I know I’m a prince, and the marriage is good for your family, but I don’t think you should marry me either. I’m stressed out all the time, and I can barely deal with it, and I don’t even know what I’m going to do when I’m actually- when I’m actually a king. And if I can’t even handle the thought of it now- I can’t make you marry me if I’m such a mess. I don’t deserve-”

“Jack Zimmermann, don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

Jack’s eyebrows shot up. Bittle’s wide brown eyes stared up at him with an intensity that made Jack’s skin crawl.

“But-”

“Don’t you say you don’t deserve anything, ‘cause that’s just not true. Just ‘cause you’re scared doesn’t mean you’re a mess. Sweetheart, everyone’s scared of somethin’. I’m afraid of heights. Otherwise I woulda climbed out the window, and we wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh.”

“Honey, don’t worry about things you can’t change.”

“I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work.”

Bittle smiled. “You’re right. Sorry, honey. But you can’t give up before you even try. I guess I shoulda given myself a talking-to before I tried to sneak outta here, too.”

“Maybe,” Jack said. “Maybe I should have talked to you first.”

“How about we forget about all this then?” Bittle suggested. “We can just start over, have breakfast in the morning, give this whole engagement thing a try?”

Jack straightened, took a step back. “Really?”

“If- If you don’t actually hate me.”

“I don’t.”

“So…?”

“Oh. Yeah. We can start over.” Jack gave Bittle a tiny smile, and he grinned back. Jack’s chest tightened at the sight of it. He wasn’t sure if he liked how it felt, but he thought he could get used to it either way. “Do you wanna start now?”

Bittle’s eyebrows nearly touched his hairline. “What?”

“Uh. I mean, we’re already here. Do you wanna start now?”

“Sure, sweetheart! What do you wanna do?”

“Oh. I didn’t think about that.”

Bittle laughed. Jack loved the sound immediately.

“You wanna take a walk around the courtyard with me? The stars are real pretty at night.”

Jack nodded. “Okay.”

~*~*~

Larissa dragged Eric into the library as soon as breakfast was over and demanded he explain exactly _why_ he and Prince Jack Zimmermann had been making eyes at each other across the dining table all through the meal. Eric blushed and told her _everything._

“He caught you?!”

Eric shrugged. “We caught each other. I guess we didn’t think Jack would try to escape too.”

Larissa shook her head and slumped in her chair. “That’s fucked.”

Eric laughed. “We talked for a little bit, and it turns out he’s a big sweetheart. He’s just so scared of bein’ king. Which makes sense! I’d be scared outta my wits. But he’s got all this pressure on him, and he didn’t wanna say the wrong thing. Didn’t wanna talk to me at all, actually. Thought we weren’t a good match.”

“What an-”

“He said he couldn’t marry me in good conscience,” Eric said. “He thinks he’s not enough.”

“Whatever. Just because he’s insecure-”

“He was just a little shy, is all. We talked all night, Larissa, under the stars. He’s just a big softie. Lord, his laugh…”

Larissa chuckled. “Eric, man. What happened? Did you kiss him?”

“No! Of course not. I’m still a proper gentleman.”

“You’re engaged to the guy.”

Eric stuck his tongue out. “No, we didn’t kiss. We looked at the stars and talked about nothing at all.”

“You spend all night with him without a chaperone and you don’t even kiss him?”

“You leave me alone!” Eric lowered his voice. “So we were talking last night, and… do you still have our old skates?”

“I  might.”

They grinned at each other just as the prince rounded the corner, eyes wide and searching. His face broke out into a wide smile when he saw Eric.

“Hey, sweetpea,” Eric said. “You been listenin’ in on us?”

“Ha. No, I just followed the sound of your voices. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Larissa stood and held out her hand. “No, not at all. Prince Zimmermann, you already know me as Lady Larissa Duan, but my most important title is _Eric’s best friend and sworn protector._ I’ll have you know I take this job _very_ seriously.”

Jack shook Larissa’s hand once, a stoic look on his face. “And I take the job of. Uh. _Eric’s fiancé_ very seriously too.”

Larissa raised an eyebrow. “All right. See that that doesn’t change.”

“Larissa, leave him be,” Eric scolded. He turned to Jack and grinned. “I wanna take you somewhere later - after lunch? D’you think that’d be okay with your parents?”

Jack shrugged. “Where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise! But I gotta talk to Larissa right now, so… Was there something you needed, honey?”

“Oh. I just wanted to talk to you some more. And find the library. Two birds, right? Hah. But I’ll leave you alone til lunch?”

“Sure thing. I’ll see you then, sweetheart.”

Jack blushed. “See you.”

Eric turned to Larissa as Jack walked away. “Isn’t he just a big softie?” he crooned. “That boy’s gonna drive me crazy.”

Larissa punched his shoulder. “You’re smitten! Wow. I can’t believe this is your first engagement.”

“Just ‘cause you’ve had so many doesn’t mean we’re _all_ as picky as you are, Lady Duan!”

“Well, Lord Bittle, at least _I’ve_ never tried to sneak out of the castle to get out of marrying anybody.”

“Oh! Touche.”

Larissa grinned. “Let’s find those skates.”

~*~*~

Eric had taken Jack’s hand before the lunch table was cleared, dragging him out of the room before Jack could say goodbye to his parents. He thought he caught his mother’s smile as the doors slammed closed behind them, but he couldn’t be sure.

In no time, Jack and Eric were all bundled up (Eric more so than Jack - Madison wasn’t very cold) and traipsing through the forest surrounding the Castle Duan. Jack had no idea where they were going.

“Bittle? Eric? What are we doing out here?”

“Don’t worry, darlin’. We’re almost there.”

A few minutes later, Eric planted his feet in the snow and threw out a hand. Jack cocked his head.

“It’s a lake.”

“A frozen lake!”

“Yeah.” Jack looked from the lake to Eric, whose smile slowly faded away. “Did you bring skates?”

Eric nodded sadly. “We don’t have to, or anything. I can take you on back to the castle. I just thought, ‘cause you said last night… But I shouldn’t’ve assumed.”

Jack shook his head. “This is great! I haven’t skated since last winter. I’ve been so busy with training and worrying about our engagement and… This is perfect. Thank you.”

Eric grinned and handed Jack a pair of skates (which must have been hidden in his pack).

In no time, they were skating circles around the lake, laughing and talking like they were already married.

“Larissa and I used to skate here when we were real little,” Eric said. “We used to stay here every other winter. Larissa and I have been best friends since we could walk.”

“That’s really nice. My father’s good friends with hers, but we never visited.”

“Imagine if met when we were kids! I think I’d be scared of you.”

Jack cocked his head. “Really?”

“Oh, that’s nothing against you, dear. I was just so small and nervous. A little ball of anxiety.”

“You mean smaller than you are now?”

Eric playfully hit Jack’s arm. “You shut it. I’m a perfectly attractive height, I’ll have you know.”

Jack laughed. “I know. Trust me.”

Eric blushed. Jack grinned. His chest was tight, but it was warm and comforting and nothing like how his anxiety felt. It was a good feeling, one Jack would be happy to experience every day for the rest of his life (if he got that lucky).

As they skated, Jack and Eric couldn’t stop themselves from stealing little touches here and there.

Eric brushed past Jack’s side. Jack’s gloved hand brushed through Eric’s golden hair. Eric took Jack’s hand and spun around him, giggling. Jack couldn’t help but smile back. He slipped his arms around Eric’s waist and drew him close. Eric looked up at him with big brown eyes. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, his lips pink and stretched in a wide smile. Jack froze.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, so softly he was almost sure the wind ripped it away before Eric could hear it. But Eric’s cheeks flushed even further. “Radiant. Gorgeous. Stunning.”

“Prince Zimmermann, you’re makin’ me blush.”

Eric’s gaze never left Jack’s, even when he leaned down to press his lips to Eric’s. Wind blew past them as they kissed, even after they pulled away, grinning at each other like idiots.

“I think we’re gonna get along just fine, sweetpea,” Eric said. “But there’s a lil problem.”

Jack’s heart stopped. He couldn’t have done anything wrong that quickly. Could he?

“What?”

“You’re just too tall. I’m gonna have to stand on my tiptoes just to kiss you for the rest of my life.”

 _The rest of his life,_ Jack thought. _The rest of_ our lives.

It was music to Jack’s ears.

He grinned, laughed, shook his head. Eric rested his head against Jack’s chest, and they danced on the ice until they couldn’t feel their fingers. Jack lead Eric back to the Castle Duan, where (to his parents’ delight) he and Eric spent the rest of the day together.

If married life was anything like today, well… It would be a lot nicer than Jack had ever thought. And he might even be looking forward to it.

Jack looked over at Eric, staring at his golden face as he laughed, smile bright and beautiful, and decided that he was _definitely_ looking forward to married life, as long as he married Eric Bittle.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment if you liked it, hated it, or feel something in between. Let me know what you think!
> 
> I'm also open to requests for more zimbits or check please fics! It'll give me something to do instead of being a terrible unproductive blob all summer.
> 
> Also I'm @maybe-strawberry-blue on tumblr if you wanna stop by and say hi!!


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